The two members for Traeger caught up last week. Robbie Katter is the member for Traeger most people would be familiar with but there is also Helena Frick, 17, the junior member for Traeger. The Spinifex State College year 12 student represents the vast electorate in the junior parliament and said her role was to represent the youth within that region. “We do have interesting ideas for our electorate in future years, so this is about being a voice,” Helena said. Given that they are under 18, the process of getting elected is different for junior members of parliament as Helena explained. “I had to apply online and I needed to have references from principals and others and I had to mention what I was doing in the community,” she said. “At the moment I’m involved with the Eisteddfod, the parkrun and I’m about to hold the 40 hour famine at Spinifex next term.” She’ll also be involved at the Rodeo with Brisbane-based artists from Topology and the MICE choir who will be performing at the Street Festival. Helena attended the recent youth parliament in Brisbane. “That involved us sitting and listening to a debate about political correctness and that was quite an interesting topic,” she said. “Most of us hadn’t been to parliament before and it was quite cool to meet with people who were like-minded and walk through those situations.” Helena is part of the department of agriculture, environment and natural resources. “With my other elected members we had to sit down and discuss issues in our region, which ones were the most important and work out our bill which was whether we should get rid of plastic bags and plastic water bottles or make it about mining rehabilitation of the land, so we decided the mining one was the way to go.” They will report to youth parliament again in the September holidays. Robbie Katter was delighted to meet his junior counterpart and said he was enthusiastic to get younge people involved in politics. “Not necessarily for a career in politics but just so they are tuned into the issues and how the process works is a good thing,” he said.

The Spinifex State College year 12 student represents the vast electorate in the junior parliament and said her role was to represent the youth within that region.

“We do have interesting ideas for our electorate in future years, so this is about being a voice,” Helena said.

Given that they are under 18, the process of getting elected is different for junior members of parliament as Helena explained.

“I had to apply online and I needed to have references from principals and others and I had to mention what I was doing in the community,” she said. “At the moment I’m involved with the Eisteddfod, the parkrun and I’m about to hold the 40 hour famine at Spinifex next term.”

“That involved us sitting and listening to a debate about political correctness and that was quite an interesting topic,” she said.

“Most of us hadn’t been to parliament before and it was quite cool to meet with people who were like-minded and walk through those situations.”

Helena is part of the department of agriculture, environment and natural resources.

“With my other elected members we had to sit down and discuss issues in our region, which ones were the most important and work out our bill which was whether we should get rid of plastic bags and plastic water bottles or make it about mining rehabilitation of the land, so we decided the mining one was the way to go.”

They will report to youth parliament again in the September holidays.

Robbie Katter was delighted to meet his junior counterpart and said he was enthusiastic to get younge people involved in politics.

“Not necessarily for a career in politics but just so they are tuned into the issues and how the process works is a good thing,” he said.